2018 Gunpla Year in Review

As the new year approaches, this year-long list gives us a moment to reflect on all the amazing models that came out in the past calendar year and revisit the ones we might have missed before.

In 2018, we watched Gundam Build Divers from beginning to end and tuned in each week for Tom Aznable’s always eye-opening Deep Dive series. We learned about the still-in-progress Gundam Narrative project and its many variations on familiar suits originally found in Gundam Unicorn. Now 2019 promises to be a banner year for the franchise: after all, it is the greatly anticipated 40-year anniversary of Gundam.

On the personal front, John and I moved to a new house and ended up spending more time packing up and then reassembling our Gunpla collection than adding much to it. We gave Gunpla 101 panels at Anime Boston, Anime NEXT, and Otakon. We didn’t blog here very much but we hope to soon reveal some exciting new posts and projects in 2019.

But before we move on just yet, it’s time to look one last time at this year’s amazing lineup. As usual, kits are listed in order of both grade and release (kits are listed from oldest to newest in each section). There are also some new sections this year—Beargguys and Haros, High Resolution, and Cross Silhouette—to reflect these new or growing Gunpla kit types. And as always, please enjoy and let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Perfect Grade

I wasn’t sure if we were going to get a PG model this year, and then one appeared at the last minute. This is an odd one: a variation that only appears in a Gundam 00 side story. Its angled shoulder pads mark it as a Celestial Being creation.

This lighting kit is technically an accessory, but only works for a PG kit so I’m placing it in this section. Much like the LED Unit for PG Gundam Unicorn, this is customized specifically for making 2017’s only Perfect Grade release light up.

Master Grade

This is one massive mech, with a price tag to match. For $200, the Deep Striker is here to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Gundam Sentinel. Like the Neo Zeong, it’s not so much a mecha as it is a gigantic suit for an MG kit (the included S Gundam) to wear.

I’m always excited when Hajime Katoki re-designs a Gundam model into his own Version Ka understanding. This version replicates how the Banshee looked in the novel long before it became the animated version of the Banshee that we know from the Gundam Unicorn OVA.

F91 is getting spoiled this summer. This new version gives the Master Grade a much-needed update that uses the latest in Bandai’s PlaMo technology. It also comes with two expanding railguns, multiple heads, and can be fitted with an optional LED unit to make it glow inside.

At last, one of the most popular grunt suits ever gets its own Master Grade. This Char’s Counterattack suit has an interior skeleton for improved poseability. It also comes with a sturdy stand so you can position it in flying poses.

Clearly based on the QAN[T] from Gundam 00, this is another manga spinoff kit, this time from Mobile Suit Gundam 00V: Battlefield Record. It retains the original QAN[T]’s elegant form but beefs up its offense with two blades that can combine into the “GN Gunblade Twin Edge.”

Reborn 100

I love how RE/100 is bringing us kits too elaborate to be properly rendered in HG. This aristocratic commander type reminds me that while Mobile Suit Gundam F91 was a little out there, Cecily Fairchild’s taste in mobile suits was just the right kind of fancy.

The best contribution of the RE/100 line has been bringing us multiple forms of the Jagd Doga. This latest one, from Char’s Counterattack, features a unique hawk mask and heaps of accessory weapons, including six dynamic funnels rendered mid-launch.

Char’s iconic red suit from Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack finally comes to the Real Grade line. This detailed representation should be one of the most poseable iterations of the classic kit yet.

Hi-Resolution

The only Hi-Resolution of 2018! Year after year, Astray is one of Bandai’s top sellers in the west despite the fact that its manga has been out of print in English for over a decade. This is one of the suit’s most elaborate iterations yet, a 1/100 with a cherry red pre-assembled frame.

High Grade

To make this section a little more navigable this time, I’ve divided it into general HG and two subsections: Universal Century (HGUC) and the Build series (HGBF and HGBD). As always, these are all in order of release.

This suit comes from the manga Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin MSD: Cucuruz Doan’s Island. Its Gatling Gun is made out of softer plastic so it’s flexible. Here FSD stands for “Full-Scale Development” and refers to its additional armaments over the North American Type.

This GM variant comes from Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Mobile Suit Discovery (or MSD for short). It’s part of a mecha design series that ran in Gundam Ace magazine. Highlights include a full-length shield and a clear visor that can lower or lift over the model’s eye area.

High Grade – Universal Century

After we got Blue Destiny Unit 1 and Unit 2, you knew this one was coming. In the manga, this was the least celebrated of the three, made to provide spare parts for the other two! It’s also the one that differs the most; without the blue color scheme of the other two, it has a unique look.

Galbaldy Beta hasn’t had a Gunpla release in 33 years! The last one, which came out in 1985 shortly after Zeta Gundam did, was only one color and didn’t snap together—you had to use glue. Meanwhile, this one is extremely poseable with a sliding shield gimmick.

Take one look at this Zeta Gundam classic and you’ll be saying, “That sure was made in the ‘80s.” With red and yellow highlights on a spiky frame, it has a retro super-robot look. These are some of the least humanoid proportions I’ve seen on a Gundam mech.

Take one look at this kit’s crescent-shaped “Psycho plate” and you’ll know why they call it Moon Gundam. This is the titular kit of the Gundam Ace manga Mobile Suit Moon Gundam, which takes place in the Universal Century and explains the kit’s conventional silhouette.

A beautiful new version of the golden Phenex to commemorate Gundam’s latest entry, the Gundam Narrative film. This movie will be in theaters on November 30, 2018, so if you happen to be in Japan, that’s the first day you can watch it!

High Grade – Build Fighters and Build Divers

You’ve seen this one in Gundam Build Fighters Battlogue Episode 4. Three different GN-X types think they have what it takes to defeat the Meijin, and with this mech’s bulky armor and long range, they might just have a chance.

Everyone’s favorite Hot Mom of the Gundam universe gets her own plastic model. Rinko is based on the Archangel from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, which is a bit of a nod to the fact that she and Archangel captain Murrue Ramius share the same voice actress.

HGBD stands for “High Grade Build Divers,” so expect to see a lot of this sub-grade moving forward. The Magnum is based on Gundam AGE’s Age-2 Normal and is first seen in the prologue. I’m certain we’ll see its pilot, Kyoya Kujo, again soon!

I hope you’re enjoying Gundam Build Divers because you’re going to be seeing a lot of it in this year’s monthly Gunpla Buying Guide. This custom take on the Gundam Reconguista in G mobile suit belongs to Rommel the Weasel, yes that’s a character.

I didn’t realize that in Japanese, the GM is pronounced “Jim” until Build Divers. This suit belongs to Riku’s sidekick Yukki and is inspired by the GM III that appears in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZand once again in Char’s Counterattack (though this is the first time it appears in orange).

And here’s the star of the show, at least until Riku builds a new one in episode 7: the Gundam Build Divers main model! It’s a very clear homage to 00 Gundam and moves like it, too—don’t expect to get too much articulation from those shoulders, early reviewers are saying.

Don’t think you can build this one as well as its fictional creator Shahryar, who is said to be the most talented builder in the Build Divers universe. Bulky yet sleek, the coolest part of this kit is that it can transform its arms and legs, giving it a totally different look.

Stick the prehensile tail on this Gundam’s butt, or put it in its hand as a whip. Having just watched Gundam AGE, I appreciate this contrast-color take on Zeheart’s suit in part two. No word yet on whether this kit cries real tears like it does in Gundam Build Divers episode 9.

Tigerwolf’s dragon-like mobile suit is inspired by Wufei’s Altron from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. The bright yellow and green combined with wolf and tiger custom parts make it feel almost bizarre enough to fit into the G-Gundam universe.

In the Gundam Build Divers universe, this mashup was invented by the resident Gunpla expert Koichi. As fitting to his character, this detailed suit is all about function over form. Comes with a massive medieval weapon, as you’d expect for an Iron-Blooded Orphans throwback.

Riku’s latest Gunpla from Gundam Build Divers, this model has exaggerated shoulders from incorporating the Destiny Gundam’s wing unit into its design. As a Protagonist Gunpla, it’s pretty standard but comes with a lot of weapons and interchangeable parts.

Tsukasa Shiba is the closest thing Gundam Build Divers has to a villain, and this is expressed through his edgy mobile suit. The most stylistically interesting part of the kit is its tattered, cloak-like shield that can also transform into a winged backpack.

Gundam Build Divers is over, but a few of its later models were coming out as recently as October. This is essentially the Impulse Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, but with a prettier color scheme and a massive accessory rifle.

Another Divers suit inspired by the Impulse Gundam, only this one is candy-colored and specialized in aquatic combat. Both the Arc and Lancier can swap their upper bodies in the show, and it looks like that remains true for the Gunpla kits, too.

This is Yuki’s final kit in Gundam Build Divers, a Jegan created in his trademark orange. The Blast Master was designed to fit his new fighting style as he transitioned from a front-line fighter to a support sniper over the course of the show.

I made a slightly controversial tweet about this magenta stunner last month. It’s a slightly customized Strike Freedom kit with Deathscythe’s weapon. I thought they could have taken more risks with a suit for the illustrious Magee, but they did give it a pretty cool finishing move (scroll down to the part where Tom talks about the Love Love Finish).

Sarah didn’t want Riku to go into Trans-Am for ages—probably so they could end the series with one final awesome-looking Gunpla kit. The purple plastic lightly shimmers and the whole thing comes with its own base, which is rare for High Grade models.

Cross Silhouette

The following kits are a new innovation on the SD line. The Cross Silhouette is a taller, leaner take on the cutesy super-deformed norm. Keep in mind: this looks just like a regular SD kit, but the parts are compatible with the new Cross Silhouette inner frame (not included).

This kit allows builders to choose which frame they want to use. It comes with a more classic SD inner skeleton and the Cross Silhouette inner skeleton. The aforementioned kit just lets you build an SD kit; this one lets you build it on either a regular SD or Cross Silhouette frame.

Here’s a Cross Silhouette that comes with both inner frames, so you can make Ayame’s mobile suit look cute or action-ready, depending on your preference. This kit also includes Ayame’s birdlike flying support mecha, so there’s a lot going on here.

Another classic joins the Cross Silhouette line. Keep in mind that this comes with the SD inner skeleton and the interchangeable parts, but you need to buy the Cross Silhouette frame separately. I wish it just came with each of these!

The 00 Diver Ace comes with parts that can be configured as a standard SD suit, or as the longer, leaner Cross Silhouette version. Remember, as with most CS kits, the actual silhouette frame comes separately.

This does not seem to be poseable at all. It has three different looks that come from how many pieces are attached to the default round Haro ball. It’s very tiny like a Petitgguy, but perhaps more like a figure than a Gunpla model.

Allegedly this helicopter backpack works with any HG Build Divers kit, but its color scheme most closely matches that of Rommel’s Grimoire Red Beret. This is certainly more exciting than the average set of extra parts, which is usually hands and swords and stuff.

My first thought was, “Why didn’t this rifle just come with the Gundam Astray No Name?” Still, it’s true that kit comes with a lot of weaponry already. This gives No Name even more firepower in an accessory that can either be configured into a sniper rifle or a defensive shield.